Job fair: No shortage of seasonal job openings at the beach

by James Gordon

Tuesday, February 12th 2019

(image: MGN) Job fair: No shortage of seasonal job openings at the beach

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WPMI) — With today's weather the beach may not have been on you mind, but for businesses on the beach a long hot Summer is quickly becoming reality as dozens of local businesses begin looking to fill thousands of seasonal jobs.

The race to fill those positions is now underway.

Nearly every business on the beach is looking for seasonal employees.

The big question - are there enough employees to go around?

One of the largest job fairs will take place here at the Hangout this Saturday from 12 to 2pm and that's just the beginning.

For Taran Pergram its training day, he's ready to make good money and a job at the beach might be just the ticket.

"I had a little job I was mowing grass on the side and I heard they were hiring here so a applied as fast as I could," said Pergram.

It's a head start on close to 2,000 jobs available this Spring and Summer. Here at the Hangout and all of the Hangout Hospitality group's properties they need to fill 500 jobs.

Derek Rowan is organizing a job fair for this Saturday.

"There's a lot of competitive pay here its better than minimum wage that something they want to look into," said Rowan.

Across the beach tipping jobs go for $2.13 an hour all other jobs are paying between $9 and $13 an hour.

Local businesses on the beach have had to pay more to compete and attract employees.

"Its hard to find enough people, a lot of people we find are wonderful and we try and find ways to keep them on longer. But just because of the sheer number of employees we need that it is hard to get all those employees filled," said Jennifer Parnell with the Flora Bama.

Today local business leaders were preparing for a banner Summer season. Every year the need to hire more gets real and the business models have to adapt.

"You know it goes with economics - econ 101 supply and demand when there's a low supply and high demand prices go up. We have prices for labor and we have prices goods and services," said Herb Malone with Gulf Shores, Orange Beach Tourism.

In order to attract workers some businesses are even offering insurance to part time employees, medical and disability.

When it comes to wages companies like Buc-ee's on Interstate 10 at Beach Express is offering $17 an hour changing the landscape of who will go where.